sudden growth

Today, while on the carpet, we were having a great discussion about the best parts of the day. Mikea, out of nowhere, interrupted, and said, sounding quite surprised: "I'm growing.....like a flower!"

I wonder if she could actually feel the neurons firing and the synapses connecting. And she used a simile, no less. While we still have to work on listening when others are speaking, maybe there's hope for her after all. 

VeggieTales makes the day

Today we had indoor recess because it rained last night and the ground was still a little damp. (What do they expect the kids to do? Get down and start rolling around on the slightly damp woodchips? Heaven forbid.) I had checked out a VeggieTales video from the library the last time I was there, so I popped it in and we settled down to watch. Well, they started to settle down and I spent the time mediating fights and keeping peace. 

Note: I have never seen a VeggieTales video. The only thing I know about VeggieTales is that they have the song "I Love My Lips" which I thought was about the funniest thing I'd ever heard my first year in college. 

The video was called "The Lord of the Bean," which I thought sounded vaguely familiar. As I put it in the computer, I thought maybe it would have something to do with The Lord of the Flies, with vegetables creating societies that then destroy themselves. Nope. I was way off. It was a spoof of The Lord of the Ring, except that it was a bean, and Bilboam had left it to Todo via Randolph. When Todo put the bean into the fire to make sure it was the Bean of Power, the writing on the Bean said, "If you can read this, you are standing too close." The other Beans of Power were capable of 1) making amazing meals, 2) changing one's appearance, 3) creating clothing, and 4) producing small kitchen appliances. Unfortunately, those to whom the Beans were given weren't that bright, and ate them. I thought it was hilarious. It was the funniest video I have seen in a long time. Of course, my students missed all of the humor, but I felt a lot better. I don't think they've ever seen me laugh that hard. I'm looking forward to the next rainy day so we can watch a little more of Todo and his Bean of Power.

on the way to the zoo...

I ran a red light today. Deliberately. I never thought I'd do that. I was driving through downtown DC on the way to the zoo (picking up forgotten lunchboxes from yesterday - thank you zoo for not throwing them away!) and was stuck in traffic on Florida and P NW. I was about the third car back from a stoplight, and we'd been sitting there for a while. Suddenly both lanes started moving forward, even though the light was still red. I could find no reason why we were moving, but everyone else was doing it, so I did it too. We crept through the light and continued up Florida and that was that. But if I'd run a red light because everyone else was doing it, maybe I'd jump off a cliff, too. Here I never thought I would, but today has opened up new horizons for me. 

for a healthy you, please avoid scissors

This morning for Shared Writing we were supposed to come up with a list of things that were good and bad for you to eat. The Good For You To Eat list went well, complete with my drawings of watermellon, strawberries, broccoli, etc. The Bad For You To Eat list, however, surprised me. I was thinking along the lines of large amounts of candy, french fries, and ice cream. My students, on the other hand, were a little more practical. The top four items on the Bad For You To Eat list? Dirt, worms, rocks, and scissors. I definitely wouldn't recommend attempting to eat scissors. That might create problems.

the difference between boys and girls...

My students are getting better at solving their own problems, but apparently this one needed adult assistance.
Oluwatosin: "Ms. Marshall, Amaya and Yamileth keep playing with me. "
Me: "Well, you are all in the same center. It's good that they're playing with you." (Oluwatosin is often upset because so-and-so is not playing with him.)
Oluwatostin: "But they keep talking to me."
Me: "Why don't you want them to talk to you?"
Oluwatosin: "They talk too much."
Me, ready to move on: "They can talk to you. That's ok."
Oluwatosin: "But they want to be my friend."
Me: "But that's good! Why don't you want to be friends?"
Oluwatosin: "They talk too much."


I took a two-day vacation from work (because I could) and now my kids are crazy. It feels like it's back in October. Let that be a lesson to me.

hardware problems

I think I'm wired wrong. Cloudy skies make me happy. I like rain and snow and wind and sleet, and sometimes even slush. Blue skies are boring and slightly depressing. I feel energized and excited when it's cold outside and am grumpy and sluggish when it's hot. My opinions aren't accepted very well when vocalized, so I thought I'd share them here. Yay for bad weather!